roccoschili Chapter 233 Occupying the County Town
Chapter 233 Occupying the County Town
Chapter 233 Occupying the County Town
Although it's already April, the nights are still bitterly cold, as if winter is reluctant to leave.
The soldiers lying in ambush around the county town all wrapped their clothes tighter around themselves, trying to ward off the pervasive chill. Their breath condensed into white mist in the frigid air, rising slowly.
In the distant county town, lights were sparse, and the occasional bark of a dog broke the silence of the night.
On the town's walls, Japanese soldiers huddled around a lit fire, warming themselves. Shibata Kazuki stood by the fire, a sake bottle in his hand, occasionally peering into the darkness beyond the town.
Although all he could see was darkness, he remained vigilant, having received a report from his captain during the day that they had suffered a defeat in the battle at Wolong Mountain.
“This weather is so cold. Here, Watanabe-kun, try some of the sake I ‘borrowed’ from Dingtai Tavern during the day. Let’s warm up together.” Shibata Kazutsugu smiled and handed the sake bottle to Watanabe beside him.
Watanabe took the sake bottle and nodded slightly in thanks. "Thank you, Shibata-kun." After he finished speaking, he tilted his head back and took a sip. The sake slid down his throat, and a warm feeling immediately rose from his stomach.
"Chinese liquor, it's really strong! This sip warms me up a lot." Watanabe wiped his mouth, a satisfied smile on his face.
Shibata Kazuki smiled smugly and patted Watanabe on the shoulder: "If you like it, that's easy. Let me tell you, just go to Dingtai Tavern in the county town a few more times. We can just eat and drink without paying. The Chinese won't do anything to us."
He said this with a hint of contempt and disdain, as if it were all perfectly natural.
Watanabe frowned, seemingly hesitant: "Shibata-kun, aren't we here to help China build the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere? Is this the right thing to do?"
Shibata Kazutsugu chuckled and waved his hand, "Watanabe-kun, what's wrong with that? We're helping them build; it's the price they have to pay. Tomorrow, I'll show you around."
"Come on, have another sip. This awful weather, when will it ever end?" After saying that, he tilted his head back and took another sip of wine, then handed the sake bottle to Watanabe.
Watanabe took the sake bottle, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, he looked into the darkness in the distance and said in a low voice, "Shibata-kun, it's already April. I miss the cherry blossoms in my hometown. In my hometown, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom at this time of year, and the spring scenery is so beautiful."
Watanabe looked nostalgic.
"Shibata-kun, are the cherry blossoms in your hometown in bloom yet?" Watanabe asked immediately afterward.
Upon hearing this, Shibata Ichigen also revealed a hint of homesickness: "The cherry blossoms in my hometown probably won't be in full bloom for a while." As he spoke, Shibata Ichigen looked in the direction of his hometown.
Watanabe sighed, a hint of melancholy in his voice: "Speaking of cherry blossoms, I'm a little homesick. When can we go back?"
Shibata Kazuki smiled and patted Watanabe on the shoulder: "When I go back for my year-end vacation, I'll definitely bring back all the delicious Chinese specialties for my sister to enjoy."
Watanabe nodded, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes: "Me too, I want to earn more money in the army and renovate my house properly when I get home."
Shibata Kazutsugu laughed heartily, a sly glint in his eyes: "Making money? I have a way."
"It looks like everything's alright tonight." Shibata Kazutsugu looked outside the town; it was still eerily quiet.
“Listen to me tonight, and I guarantee you’ll make a fortune in no time,” Shibata Kazutsugu continued.
A hint of surprise flashed in Watanabe's eyes: "Really? Thank you so much, Shibata-kun."
Shibata Kazutsugu smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice, saying, "Come, let me explain in detail..."
As midnight slowly approached, the night grew ever deeper. Near the county town, the soldiers lying in ambush were making their final preparations.
Niu Dali stood on a concealed high ground, his eyes fixed on the town's walls. He whispered to Wu Quan beside him, "Deputy Battalion Commander Wu, are the troops preparing to build the pontoon bridge in position?"
Wu Quan nodded, his tone firm: "Battalion Commander, everything is ready. I've gathered the best swimmers from each company, and I'll personally lead the team to ensure the pontoon bridge is built as soon as the battle begins."
Niu Dali nodded, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes: "Alright, the task of building the pontoon bridge is entrusted to you. Remember, you must be quick and there can be no mistakes."
Wu Quan straightened his back and solemnly replied, "Don't worry, Battalion Commander, I guarantee I will complete the mission."
Niu Dali patted Wu Quan on the shoulder.
"Company Commander Song, is the artillery ready?"
"Battalion Commander, our company is ready. We have calculated the trajectory based on the Japanese deployment map, and we are confident that the shells will land on the Japanese as soon as possible."
"Very good, there is less than half an hour left before the attack. Once it reaches 12 o'clock, we will immediately launch an artillery bombardment on the county town."
"Yes, battalion commander."
Meanwhile, on the city wall, Shibata Ikken and Watanabe continued their hushed conversation, completely unaware of the approaching danger. Shibata Ikken continued to ramble on about his "money-making secrets," while Watanabe listened with rapt attention, occasionally displaying a look of sudden realization.
"What Shibata-kun said today has truly opened up a whole new world for me." Watanabe looked at Shibata Kazutsugu with deep admiration.
"Haha, I'll demonstrate it for you myself tomorrow."
"Watanabe-kun, what time are you coming? Are we about to change shifts?"
"It's almost midnight."
"Damn it, it's almost midnight and the shift changers still aren't here. They're probably still sleeping," Shibata Kazutsugu cursed.
"Watanabe-kun, you're on duty here now. I'll go wake those guys up. How dare they disturb my sleep."
"Do not worry."
Just as Shibata Kazutsugu was about to leave, several "bang, bang, bang" sounds broke the silence of the night.
"Oh no! Take cover! Enemy attack!" Shibata Kazutsugu shouted to Watanabe.
Just as Shibata pulled Watanabe into hiding, the sound of exploding shells echoed throughout the entire prefecture.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" A deafening alarm blared in the Japanese camp. The sleeping Japanese soldiers immediately got up, grabbed their weapons, and headed towards the city gate.
At first, only the south gate was hit by explosions, but then the other gates were hit by artillery fire. Faced with this situation, the company commander who was left to guard Qingshan County panicked and hurriedly ordered his troops to split into four groups to support the county.
The moment the shells went off, Deputy Battalion Commander Wu led the troops building the pontoon bridge and rushed forward. Under the suppressive fire of the reconnaissance battalion, Deputy Battalion Commander Wu quickly completed the construction of the pontoon bridge.
"Charge!" At that moment, Niu Dali saw that the county gate had been destroyed. He immediately ordered the entire battalion to charge towards the county town, and the reconnaissance battalion was the first to rush into the town.
Meanwhile, Li Yunfei's Independent Regiment and Kong Yue's Second Regiment were not to be outdone, and their troops also successively stormed the county town. In less than two hours, they had completely liberated Qingshan County.